Thank You For Loving Me
by youngmedic
Summary: What would both Mulder and Scully do when their lives are in danger? Would they fight or would they fall? MSR
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone, well I've been reading all your fics for a long time and I think every single one I've read has been superb! I guess I decided it was time I gave it a go, so sorry it's probably not up to the same standard but it'd be great if some of your out there read it and let me know what you think. It's my first X-files fic so any feedback is welcome!

**One**

Mulder stood bouncing his basket ball unenthusiastically. Sighing, he looked around his apartment for any idea of something to do. The last case had been difficult, and Skinner had signed him and Scully off for the rest of the week, leaving Mulder bored and frustrated. Still scanning as he bounced the ball, Mulder's eyes fell onto the phone that sat on his desk. Smiling to himself, he headed straight over and dialled the familiar number.

"Scully!" came the enthusiastic answer, and he felt a grin stretch across his face again at the sound of his partner's voice, berating himself for letting his feelings get away from him.

"Scully, it's me," he started, thinking how best to phrase his proposal.

"Oh, hi Mulder. What's up?"

"Well, I just wondered if you were busy. Fancy a pizza and movie?" he asked, feeling himself hold his breath as he waited for the answer, and hoped that it was the one that he wanted.

"Sure, I'm not doing anything anyway. Just let me get ready and I'll come straight over."

Letting out the breath that he had been holding with a smile, Mulder put the phone back on the cradle, heading off to the kitchen to try and find the latest pizza menu. _Stop it_ he told himself as his thoughts wandered back to why he had called Scully to come over. _You're bored, that's all_. Yet however many times he told himself that, he couldn't explain the way his heart felt bigger and he couldn't stop smiling knowing that he would be spending the evening with Scully.

*

A brief knock sounded through the apartment as Mulder wandered around his bedroom, looking for a decent shirt to wear for the evening. Looking across at the clock, Mulder's grin widened when he realised that Scully must have rushed to get there that quickly. Checking his appearance briefly in the mirror and telling himself that it was a natural thing to do, and not because he wanted to look alright for Scully, Mulder headed over to the door.

Pulling open the door enthusiastically, the witty retort that he had ready died on his lips along with his smile as he came face to face with an unknown man rather than the small form of Scully.

"Can I help you?" he asked, impatient for the man to go. His instincts started to kick in when the man gave him a malicious smile, before pushing him backwards into his apartment, kicking the door shut behind him.

Mulder was shocked as a hard punch caught him clean in his face, making him lean away from the man. Struggling back around, Mulder went to hit him back, only to have his punch blocked and another hit catch him in the side, causing him to gasp as all of his air was pushed out of his lungs and he doubled over in pain. Seeing that Mulder was down, the man kicked him in the face, knocking him flat on his back as he walked over and picked him up by the shoulders, banging his head painfully on the floor.

Flicking out his leg on instinct, Mulder was relieved when the man fell over backwards, allowing Mulder the chance to get the upper hand. Pulling himself to his feet on an adrenaline rush, Mulder hit him hard, pleased when the man seemed to respond to the pain. Pushing his arm into the man's throat, Mulder waited until he heard the sounds of choking.

"Who are you? Who are you working for?" Mulder asked, pushing harder onto the man's throat. "Answer me!"

Hearing a gurgle that could be some kind of speech, Mulder released the pressure from his arm, hearing air rush into the man's throat. He waited for the answer that he knew was coming, only realising his mistake when the same malicious grin appeared again, and the man threw him off, pulling out a knife and advancing on him.

Grabbing Mulder by the arm, he threw him back against the wall, making Mulder groan from the force of the impact. Holding the man's arm on instinct, Mulder tried desperately to force the knife away from him, gritting his teeth as he pressed with all his strength against the man who was obviously stronger.

"Give it up, Agent Mulder," the man hissed, the knife inching closer and closer as Mulder watched helplessly.

Suddenly, the man stamped on Mulder's foot, causing Mulder to cry out. His hand slipped on the attacker's knife hand, and he twisted as best as he could, managing to keep it away from his main body, but shouting again as the metal sliced into the flesh on his arm. Spinning away with a hiss, Mulder's hand pressed down on his arm, trying to stop the flow of blood coming from his arm.

Looking up, Mulder felt himself give up the fight as the man moved towards him again, the knife still in his hand. He half-heartedly tried to grab at the knife, readying himself for the moment when it all would end and wishing that it had been different.

A loud bang made Mulder jump as he watched the man before him with no emotion. He was even more surprised when the man suddenly crumpled to the floor, the knife falling uselessly from his hand. Mulder bent over, the pain from various places finally hitting him when the adrenaline had finally worn off. Gathering the last of his strength, Mulder looked up to see the small form of his partner standing looking coldly at the man at her feet, her gun still pointed in his direction.

"Are you OK, Mulder?" she shouted over, her eyes flickering from the man at her feet for a moment to see Mulder's pale face, as he slid to the floor, unconsciousness washing over him.


	2. A New Beginning

Mulder groaned as everything came back into view again. He realised that his head was resting on something soft, and opening his eyes experimentally he came face to face with his partner, looking down at him with concern. He realised that he was pillowed on her knee, one of her hands stroking his hair while the other was holding a towel to his arm.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked gently, concern clouding her eyes as she watched him.

"I'm OK," he murmured, moving to sit up and finding his way blocked when Scully put her hand firmly on his shoulder. "Scully, I'm fine. I just need to sit up."

"You're not fine, Mulder. And I don't want you to sit up because I think you've broken some ribs and the pain will be excruciating," she replied, sighing as her hand rested calmingly on his forehead.

Looking behind him, Mulder realised that someone had come and removed the man from his apartment at some point while he was unconscious. He looked back at Scully with confusion in his eyes, feeling some if it float away from the reassuring smile on her face.

"Agent Scully? We're ready to take him now," came the voice of one of the paramedics, and Mulder watched as Scully smiled reassuringly at him, helping him to sit up by taking the weight of his body from him.

Mulder stood shakily, and went to follow the paramedics out of his apartment, trying to ignore the blood stain that had spread over his carpet. Scully walked alongside him, her hand on his arm in a supportive way, giving him the strength to make his way out. He kept his eyes firmly on the floor, not trusting himself to look at her in case his resolve broke completely.

They soon reached the ambulance, and Scully helped a still nervous Mulder into the back, smiling as he met her eyes for the first time since he woke up, as he sat down on the gurney.

"I'll see you at the hospital, Mulder," she said gently, her eyes betrayed how scared she was for him.

Turning away, she was surprised when she felt a tug on her hand, and looking back she saw that Mulder had a firm grip of it. Placing her free hand over his soothingly, she looked up into his haunted eyes.

"What's wrong, Mulder?" she asked, watching as he seemed to fight himself to tell her what was on his mind.

"You are coming, aren't you? You will be there, at the hospital?"

She almost choked at his child-like admission, but fought against her own emotions for his sake. Clearing her throat, she patted his hand gently, before removing his grip on her.

"Of course I will. You just try and stop me. You know I'd never pass up a chance to see you naked."

She watched a slow smile form on his face, glad that she could calm him down as she nodded to the paramedics that it was alright to close the ambulance doors, blocking him from her view as the tears that she had kept pent up for Mulder's sake started to fall slowly down her cheeks.

*

Walking through the ER, Scully soon found Mulder after flashing her badge a few times to get access to him. He was sitting looking a bit lost on one of the gurneys, but he brightened as soon as he saw Scully coming towards him. He smiled happily at her as she sat on the gurney next to him.

"You came," he whispered in wonder, which caused Scully's head to shoot up and look him square in the face.

"Of course I came, Mulder. I wasn't going to leave you here by yourself!"

_Apart from the fact that I had to reassure myself that you were truly alright_ the small voice reminded Scully, causing a small blush to creep over her face which she hoped that Mulder didn't see.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, searching his face as he looked back at her with a smile.

"I'm feeling fine. A bit like I've been hit by a truck, but fine apart from that. Are you OK?"

Scully laughed, taking Mulder's hand in her own and squeezing it gently. "Well, you gave me a bit of a shock, but I'll live."

Mulder chuckled with her, seeing Scully relax at the sound. "I'm sorry Scully. This isn't exactly the night that I promised you."

"Oh, Mulder," she replied, pulling him towards her on the gurney. He rested his head wearily on her shoulder as she ran her hand easily through his hair, careful to mind the sore spots on his head. Sitting up further, she kissed him tenderly on his forehead, rubbing his cheeks with her hands as she did so. "I'm just glad that you're OK. I don't even want to think what could have happened if I had arrived any later."

They were interrupted by the appearance of an older doctor; his glasses perched on the end of his nose as he read over Mulder's chart. He looked up with a smile, flipping the chart closed.

"Well Agent Mulder, I'd say you've had a lucky escape! You may be a little sore for a while, but no permanent damage. Just make sure you keep that arm clean and dry and we'll take the stitches out in a few days."

Mulder nodded happily, smiling at Scully who held his hand loosely in her own.

"Can I go home?" he asked, watching as the doctor looked uneasily back at his chart.

"Well, no, not just yet. You've had quite a bad concussion and I'd like to keep you in overnight. Just to be sure."

Mulder looked desperately at Scully, who caught his train of thought perfectly and cleared her throat to get the doctor's attention.

"I'm a medical doctor, and I'm happy for him to stay with me tonight so that I can keep an eye on him."

She squeezed Mulder's hand, giving him a small smile as the doctor nodded, satisfied.

"In that case, I'll just get your discharge papers and we'll get you out of here!"

As soon as the doctor had left, Mulder turned to Scully with an unspoken thank you written all over his face. She squeezed his hand again, letting him know that he didn't have to say anything.

"Am I really coming back to your apartment? Because I'll be fine, Scully, I don't want to intrude," Mulder asked carefully, not wanting to hope that he wouldn't have to go back to his place that night. She smiled gently at him.

"Of course you are, Mulder. Apart from the fact that it's not safe for you to stay alone with a concussion, there is no way I'm letting you go back to your apartment until I am one hundred per cent sure that it is safe."

"But Scully," he started, stopping when he felt Scully's fingers on his lips.

"No buts Mulder, you're staying with me until I say otherwise, and that's final. I don't care how long that takes, until I have proven myself that it is safe, you're not going back there."

"Thank you," Mulder whispered, so much meaning behind the word that Scully raised her eyebrows in surprise. She was about to reply when the doctor reappeared with the papers, handing them to Scully and checking that she had everything that she needed before she left.

*

Mulder walked carefully through Scully's door, following her as she flicked on some lights. Taking his hand in hers again, she gently guided him to the sofa.

"Don't you dare move a muscle. I'm just going to get you some water."

Mulder nodded, watching as Scully made her way out of the room, leaving him with his thoughts. She reappeared a short while later, passing him a glass and wandering straight off to find something else. A small smile started to creep over his face as he watched her moving backwards and forwards, busying herself with anything that she possibly could as she did so.

"Scully..." he started as she walked through one time.

"Sorry Mulder, I've just got to sort this out and..." she replied, wandering off before he could catch the end of the sentence.

Waiting until she appeared again, Mulder grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto the sofa next to him as she passed. Scully looked shocked as she landed with a bump on the soft sofa, Mulder's arms stopping her from falling too far backwards.

"Mulder!" she exclaimed, turning to look at him with a mixture of amusement and shock.

"Right, now tell me what's wrong," Mulder replied gently, holding her hand in his so that she didn't have the option of escaping.

He was surprised to see that tears were forming in Scully's eyes that she was desperately trying to stop from falling. She opened her mouth to answer, and then closed it again quickly, not trusting herself to be able to speak.

"Hey, hey," Mulder muttered, wiping a stray tear that had escaped from Scully's cheek. "Less of that! What's wrong, Scully?"

"Oh Mulder," she moaned, wiping angrily at the tears that Mulder had missed. "It's so stupid, but I keep thinking that if I'd been just a few seconds later, you would have been...well...and I just couldn't cope with that. I don't know what I would do."

"Hey," Mulder whispered, pulling her to him and cradling her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head gently as she allowed herself a few moments to let some of the anguish she was feeling escape. "Look at me. I'm fine, everything's fine. You aren't going to lose me. Ever."

Scully wiped away the tears with a sniff and an embarrassed smile. She looked up at him when his hands appeared on the sides of her face. He looked straight in her eyes, his thumbs drawing small patterns on her cheeks and saw that she looked back with pure trust.

"And I don't know how I would ever live without you either. You're my life, Scully."

She smiled sadly, her hand finding its way to his hair as she smoothed it down against his head. He caught her hand, kissing the palm gently before looking up to see her eyes were on his, looking a little happier than before.

It was almost as if his muscles were acting of their own accord, but his head moved slowly closer and closer to Scully and he did nothing to stop it. He closed his eyes just before his lips touched hers gently, the sweetest and most innocent kiss that he had ever had. His heart soared when he felt Scully kiss him back, her hands on his chest moving in small circles as she deepened the kiss. It soon became heated until she pulled away, her hair rumpled from where his fingers had pushed their way through it, and her lips swollen from his kissing. She smiled happily at him, her heart beating a mile a minute and her breaths coming in gasps.

Standing from the sofa, Scully reached for Mulder's hand, pulling him up so that he was standing with her and led him in the direction of the bedroom. He felt himself grinning like an idiot when he understood what she meant, but decided that it didn't matter, especially when she pulled insistently on his hand.

"Scully, are you sure about this?" he asked gently, knowing that he would not be able to stop himself if he let this go much further. Turning back, she looked him directly in the eye, seeing love and lust in his hazel ones, and knowing that she was showing the same to him.

"Mulder, I have never been more sure of anything in my life."

That was all that he needed to hear. Letting her pull him into the room, Mulder followed eagerly, just remembering to kick the door shut behind him.


	3. The First Goodbye

**Hi everyone, just wanted to send a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story for me, I really appreciate your comments so I know where I can improve and make this better for you all! And thanks to everyone else who has taken the time to read it :) I hope this next part is alright for everyone!**

The sun shone through the window, causing Scully to stir slightly as she blinked her eyes against the brightness. Sighing, she rolled over to nestle closer into whatever was lying next to her on the bed. Opening her eyes further, Scully looked up to see Mulder still asleep, his arm wrapped loosely around her waist. Moving her hand slightly so that she could lay it on his chest, Scully reassured herself that he was real, and she was not dreaming. As she laid her head back onto his chest again, a smile grew until she was grinning happily to herself, feeling like the whole situation was too good to be true.

Mulder stirred as Scully's movements woke him. Looking up again, she came eye to eye with a sleepy Mulder, who instantly pulled her up close to him, planting a soft kiss on her lips, smiling peacefully.

"Morning, Scully," he said, more awake as he watched the bright eyes look back at him as if he were the most wonderful person on the planet. He hugged her closer, knowing that she would be seeing the same look from him.

"Morning, Mulder," she whispered back, her hand running light circles on his chest as her head nuzzled closer under his chin. "Sleep well?"

"Like a baby," he murmured, his lips nuzzling at her hair line as she instinctively tipped her head onto one side to give him more room. "Scully?"

She looked up in surprise, so lost in the moment that she had not realised that his lips had stopped moving. She let a brief look of worry cross her face on hearing the seriousness of his tone.

"What is it, Mulder?"

She willed herself to be strong, even if he said that it was a mistake and they should stay friends. Panic started to rise in her chest as she prayed that it wasn't what he was going to say. Mulder smiled to himself as he saw her lose herself in thoughts, and placed his hands gently on her face to get her to look into his calming eyes again.

"Last night was...well it was the most amazing night of my life. And I just...I guess I just wanted to make sure that you were OK with it all."

Keeping her face in his hands so that her gaze was locked on his, Mulder watched as relief washed over her face, no secrets hidden from him anymore.

"Mulder, if I hadn't been alright with it, I would have stopped it," she replied, her own hand stroking his cheek gently. "I'm not sure if I'd ever be able to sleep without you beside me now."

Mulder was speechless for a moment, unable to understand that the woman that he had loved for years felt the same way. He cleared his throat. "Me neither."

Looking at him for a moment longer, Scully realised that he was struggling to tell her something that was important to him. Picking up the pillow next to her, she threw it at him to break the moment, throwing her head back in laughter when she saw the completely baffled look on his face.

"Come on, Mulder! Get up or we'll both be late for work. And I somehow don't think we can tell Skinner the real reason..."

*

Almost as soon as Scully had closed the office door behind them, the phone on the desk rang. Sighing, Mulder and grabbed it.

"Mulder," he stated, catching Scully's inquisitive eyes as he nodded, listening to the person on the other end.

"OK, we'll be right there," he said, putting the phone back on the holder. "Skin-man wants to see us right away. Maybe he had hidden cameras last night."

He waggled his eyebrows seductively at Scully who snorted, cuffing him gently around the shoulder. "Shut up, Mulder!"

*

The door opened as soon as they arrived in the office, and Skinner indicated for them to enter. Looking at Scully with his eyebrows raised, Mulder walked through first. Skinner waited until they had all sat down before he started to speak.

"How are you feeling Agent Mulder?" he asked, watching his most troublesome agent with concern. Mulder smiled.

"I'm fine sir. He only caught me on my arm."

Standing awkwardly, Skinner began to pace the room, causing Scully to look over at Mulder in concern. He looked equally baffled at the uncharacteristic behaviour from the usually calm and in control AD. Finally, he turned and looked straight from one to the other, knowing that they were not going to like what he had to say.

"Agent Mulder, we interviewed your attacker last night, and he gave us some quite worrying information." He sighed, moving to perch on the edge of his desk in front of his agents. "It seems that this was not a random attack, and that the man was working for someone else. Whether that was one person, or an organisation, I dont know."

Scully looked at Mulder in shock, feeling numb from the information that she was hearing.

"But...who would want me dead? Why?" she heard Mulder ask somewhere in the distance, and she refocused her attention on Skinner, who looked uncomfortable.

"I have no idea Mulder, but I would guess that you know too much and are too persistent for anyone involved in whatever secrets you are uncovering to leave you alive. Until I know who the people behind this are, I'm afraid I can't tell you anything else."

Scully cleared her throat slightly, looking steadily at Skinner so that she did not betray how mixed up her emotions were at that moment.

"Sir, what are we going to do to keep Mulder safe?"

Skinner looked even more uncomfortable, if that were possible, as he looked from one agent to the other. He sighed, knowing that they were going to hate this idea, but also knowing that he had no other options to keep Mulder safe.

"I'm afraid that for the time being it is too dangerous for Agent Mulder to stay in DC. We have a safe place for you, but you're going to have to leave today, and you won't be able to come back until we have figured out some more information about this case. I'm sorry."

Mulder jumped to his feet, anger radiating from him as he shook his head in disbelief.

"No! I can't go. I'm sorry sir, but I won't be forced from my home, from my life, over some nut who..."

"Who nearly managed to take your life!" Scully stood up too, causing Mulder to look round at her as she finished his sentence for him. He had never seen her look so sad and scared before, and it made his heart melt. "Mulder you have to go. Please don't make this any more difficult than it already is. And if you can't go for you, then go for me, because I couldn't make it without you."

She placed her hand gently on his arm, meeting his eyes as a silent communication started between them, Mulder silently telling her that he didn't want to leave her, and Scully willing him to go. Eventually he sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"I don't think I can be without you, Scully," he admitted gently, both of them seeming to have forgotten that Skinner was in the room. She smiled gently at him, her hand touching his cheek lightly so that he looked up at her to see her face.

"It won't be for very long, Mulder, I promise that it won't. And I'll work every second I can to make sure we find who is behind this so that you can come home." _Come home to me_ her subconscious added as he sighed and kissed her palm gently before releasing her hand.

"Why can't you come with me Scully?" he asked softly, and he felt Scully gasp quietly as all the emotion that she was only just keeping penned up inside her threatened to escape.

Skinner stood up, clasping Mulder on the shoulder. "She can't go Mulder. It's too risky, and it's too obvious to anyone looking close enough, which someone obviously is. We can just about make one person disappear, two is impossible."

"I'll be waiting when you come back," Scully promised, holding Mulder's gaze for a moment so that he saw she was telling the truth before dropping her gaze to the floor.

"I'm very sorry, agents, but you have an hour to get ready. Then you really have to go."

Mulder nodded mutely, before turning and walking quickly out of the room. Scully looked up at Skinner for a moment, sorrow in her eyes. She nodded to him in a silent thank you, before quickly following her partner out of the room. Skinner sighed, wishing that the news could have been different, and that these two agents who had already been through so much could have had their bit of happiness, rather than being ripped apart again.

*

The journey was silent as Scully drove Mulder back to his apartment to get ready, neither one of them really knowing what to say. Mulder stole sideways glances at Scully as she drove along, and felt relieved to see that she was just as upset by the news as he was. He banged his fist on the dashboard, causing Scully to jump slightly as he took his anger out on the nearest object. She said nothing, letting him have a moment to himself as she tried to return her concentration to the road.

He shot out of the car as soon as Scully had pulled up, and by the time she had made it up to his apartment she found him throwing things haphazardly into a suitcase sitting on his bed. She sighed, moving into the room with him and started to take the things back out, folding them properly and laying them back in the case in the right order. She felt something hard, and pulling it out of the case, Scully felt a tear fall down her cheek as she saw a framed picture of her and Mulder smiling together in the bottom of the suitcase. Putting it back quickly, she glanced at Mulder to make sure that he hadn't noticed, before wiping the tear and covering the photo with his clothes.

Unable to stand it any longer, Mulder span around and pulled Scully towards him, kissing her passionately. His knees shook as he felt Scully kiss him back, just as passionately. Her hands moved to the hair at the back of his neck, as Mulder ran his hands gently up and down her back, feeling the warmth radiating out from under her shirt.

Eventually they were forced to pull apart for air, and Mulder found himself looking into Scully's moist eyes. Sighing, she ran her hand around the hair on the sides of his face, smiling gently at him and telling herself that she wouldn't be without him for too long.

"I won't do it, Scully. I won't go without you," Mulder said firmly, finally breaking the silence. He saw Scully think for a moment, before she look back up at him with clear eyes.

"You have to go, Mulder. There is no other choice."

"But it's not fair! We've finally started to admit how we feel about each other after so long, and..." Mulder stopped suddenly as Scully placed her fingers gently on his lips, smiling at him again in a sympathetic way filled with love.

"Mulder, I waited this long. I think I can wait a little longer."

Mulder opened his mouth to reply, when a knock came at the door. Dropping his head with a groan, Mulder made his way through the apartment to open it, as Scully zipped up his suitcase with a sniff. When she walked into the apartment, she smiled sadly at Skinner, before handing the suitcase over to Mulder. He looked up at her, so many emotions on his face that for once Scully had no idea what he was thinking. She dropped her eyes away from the intensity of them.

"Goodbye, Mulder. Be safe."

Mulder was shocked at the formality behind the words, before he reminded himself that it was the Scully way of coping. Nodding, he walked out of the door.

"Bye Scully. Right back at ya."

Following him out, Scully stood in his doorway, watching with a stony face as Skinner walked him down the hall to the lift. He never looked back, at least giving her the dignity of keeping her emotions intact. Only it wasn't working. As soon as the lift doors closed on him, Scully realised the enormity of the situation, and that there was a strong chance that she wouldn't see Mulder for months, if she saw him again at all. Letting out a small sob, Scully ran down the hall, ignoring the lift and rushing down the stairs instead.

She almost cried when she saw that Mulder was about to get into the car, and despite the fact that she was already breathless from the run, she increased her pace.

"Mulder!" she shouted, pleased that he turned and waited for her to rush up to him.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Scully pulled him into a deep kiss, the best goodbye that she could have offered, and the only thing that could have consoled her. She knew that Skinner was standing on the other side of the car, but she didn't care. The only thing that matter was that she remembered every minute of that kiss.

Pulling away, Scully looked down with a sniff. "You'd better take care of yourself wherever you end up Mulder, because I need you back here in one piece."

Smiling to himself, Mulder gently turned Scully's head so that she was looking at him again. He pressed his forehead to hers, stroking her cheeks gently.

"I love you, Scully," he whispered, kissing her forehead as he turned to get into the car. Scully watched him, grabbing the door before he could close it and bending down in front of him.

"I love you too," she replied, kissing her fingers before she pressed them against his lips. Standing back, Scully closed the door for him, smiling for his sake as the car started to pull away.

She crossed her arms as she watched, holding her sides as the tears rolled freely down her cheeks now that she was sure that Mulder would not see. It didn't take long before the car was out of sight, and she had no choice but to trudge wearily back into Mulder's apartment, praying that he would be safe, wherever he was.


	4. An Unexpected Meeting

**Hi everyone, thanks to everyone who read the last bit! Did I lose you guys, there were no reviews lol. Just let me know if you don't like it/want it changed or anything and I will do it :) Anyway, I hope this part is better, and thanks again for taking the time to read!**

A week passed incredibly slowly for Scully. She found herself missing Mulder at the most bizarre times of day, or found herself instinctively reaching for the phone to tell him something that she just found out or ask him something about the case. She sighed, running her hands over her face as she told herself that she was not going mad, and that it was natural that she would miss him.

She sat at her computer at home, willing herself to do some more work. The quicker she got to the bottom of this the sooner Mulder could come back. Yet the doctor part of her told her that she needed rest after having only a couple of hours sleep all week in an effort to get more done. A glass of wine sat at the side of her as she told herself that she would check her email to have a break and then would get right back on it.

Clicking the relevant icon, Scully waited impassively for it to load. Glancing down the list of names, she deleted half of the mail without reading it, and ignored the rest of it. But one name stood out, even though it was one that she didn't recognise. The person only let their initials be seen, IWTB, but somehow it was such a Mulder thing that she paused at it for a moment, deciding to open it just in case and assuring herself that she was mad at the same time.

The instant she read the opening line, she knew that her prayers had been answered and that it was from Mulder. It read:

_D.S._

_I'm going mad out here already, I have to see you. Route 64, eating place that makes you think of me. Meet there at our usual time at the start of the week. _

_S.M._

Scully felt a tear slip down her cheek as she felt exactly the same. Her heart rose in hope that she would be seeing him the following day, seeing as today was Sunday. At six o clock in the evening, because that was the time Mulder appeared at her apartment when he was bored. She hit the reply button.

_I have got your message. I feel exactly the same. I'll be there._

_D.S._

Looking at her watch, Scully knew that there was no chance that she would sleep that night when she was seeing Mulder finally the following day. Grinning, she turned her attention back to the case in front of her, her enthusiasm rising again now that she had something to look forward to. Plus, she wanted to have something to give Mulder to keep his spirits up when she saw him.

*

The time finally came for Scully to set off. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she drove down the given road, reminding herself sternly to stop behaving like a silly schoolgirl, and that it was Mulder who she was going to see. She kept a careful look out on the road for any sign of a place that could be what Mulder was directing her to, but saw none on the deserted road in the middle of nowhere.

Eventually, she came across a grotty little building. Pulling off the road, she walked quickly up to the door, locking the car with her key over her shoulder. Looking all around, she stopped in her tracks with a smile, knowing that she had the right place. There on the door was a picture of a fox, with the name Hunter's Diner over the top.

She pushed open the grimy door and scanned the room quickly. Her heart rose and quickened as she saw his form hunched over a table in the very corner, playing with a beer mat as he sipped at his coffee nonchalantly. Grinning like a child, she rushed over to his table, touching his shoulder affectionately as she slid into the chair opposite. A smile lit his face the moment he saw her, the weary and sad look vanishing.

"Hey," he murmured, reaching across the table to hold her hand gently in his.

"Hey," she replied, nodded to the waitress who had shouted over to ask if she wanted some coffee. "How have you been?"

Mulder shrugged, looking down into his half empty cup. "You know, I've been fine. I just miss you." Scully looked affectionately back at him. "How about you? You don't look so good."

Mulder frowned slightly as he took in the dark circles around her eyes, and the unhealthy colour to the skin on her face. She smiled reassuringly back at him.

"I'm fine, Mulder. I've just been working a lot, trying to find a way to get you home. I miss you just as much. I'm just glad that you're safe." She touched his cheek gently, before dropping her hand back to the table as the waitress came to pour out her coffee.

Mulder was happy to just sit and watch her as she launched into a huge ramble about everything that they had found out so far on the case. He smiled and nodded in the right places, taking in every movement of her hands and face as she described it to him. There was passion in her statements, and he realised how hard she had to make sure that he got back as soon as possible. She grinned in places as she dropped out amusing stories about Skinner or the Gunmen, and he smiled happily back at her. Eventually she stopped talking, smiling shyly at him as she noticed that he was staring at her.

"What about you, Mulder?" she asked, love radiating from her gaze as it was her turn to drink in the man that she loved as he thought up any funny stories that he could tell her. He didn't want her to know how much he was suffering by being so isolated.

Scully was surprised when she noticed that it had become dark outside, and looking across at Mulder she knew that he had followed her train of thought. He sighed sadly, looking down at his long empty cup as he pulled out his wallet.

"Somehow, it seemed like if I just didn't think about it, we could just sit here together forever."

Scully nodded sadly, but looked up with a smile that didn't reach to her eyes. "But who would solve the case and get you home in that case?" she asked, watching as he smiled back at her.

He dropped a twenty on the table, and stood up, watching as Scully pulled her coat tightly around her to keep out the cold and made her way slowly to the door.

"Come on, Scully, I'll walk you out," Mulder muttered, his hand finding its way to the familiar spot on her lower back. She relaxed into his touch, feeling her heart melt to be around him again, and finding it even harder to have to leave.

They soon reached the car, and Scully hugged Mulder to her tightly, kissing him passionately as she had been wanting to do from the first moment that she saw him. He wrapped his arms around her, breaking the kiss to nuzzle into her neck, making her laugh.

"Meet me next week, Scully," he said, looking into her eyes. She blushed at the intensity of his gaze, but refused to look away.

"I'm not sure I can, Mulder." She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "I don't want to jeopardise your safety, and each time I see you it gets harder to leave."

"Please, Scully. I don't think I can survive this if I can't see you at all. It's killing me."

She opened her mouth to reason with him further, before closing it again when she saw the desperate look on his face. Reaching up, she caressed his cheek gently in her small hand, smiling when he turned his head to kiss the palm.

"Same time and place then, Mulder. We just have to be careful that nobody sees us."

He grinned, like a kid on Christmas morning, and held open the car door that Scully had just reached down to open. "I knew you'd come around to my way of thinking," he said happily as he watched her clip in her seat belt and start the car. She smiled up at him.

"Take care of yourself!" she added, smiling as he leaned in for a quick kiss before gently shutting the door for her.

"I always do!" he quipped, standing in the car park of the diner until Scully drove off, waving happily back at her as her hand appeared out of the window. He stood watching her until the car was out of sight, his heart feeling lighter than it had for a long time.

*

Scully let out the laugh that Mulder had come to love and yet hardly ever heard. He laughed along with her, sipping from the giant milkshake that sat between them. She had sat on the same side of the table as him this time, his arm comfortably around her shoulder and her head resting near his neck for the most part unless they were talking or drinking. The week had gone so slowly, but somehow it was bearable when he knew that he had something to look forward to.

Noticing that Mulder was lost in his thoughts again, Scully took a bit of milkshake on her finger and playfully dabbed it on the end of his nose. He jumped, grinning as he realised this meant war.

"No, Mulder!" Scully shrieked, trying to move away. She wasn't quick enough, and let out a shriek as Mulder pasted milkshake on her cheeks and over her nose. Eventually, he blobbed some on her lips, leaning down to kiss it off in a long slow kiss.

Scully sighed, and relaxed against him as he kissed her. It had been the best afternoon that she had had in a long time, but she was aware that the darkness was starting to come again, and she had to leave soon. Looking up, she caught Mulder looking at her sadly, easily following her train of thought even though she said nothing about it. She sighed and rubbed her face wearily.

"Come on, Scully, I'll walk you to the car," Mulder offered, standing in the booth and waiting for Scully to move before him.

Grabbing her coat, Scully thanked the waitress before heading out of the diner in front of Mulder. She walked slower and slower as they got nearer the car, revelling in the fact that she had Mulder's arm firmly around her shoulder and that she could feel the heat from his body radiating into her own.

Mulder looked down at the top of her head and felt his own heart aching along with hers. He hoped that she knew that he felt the same, and that he had no wish for her to leave him there in the middle of nowhere, with only thoughts of her to last him through the week.

Like a gentleman, he held open Scully's car door for her to get in, and she passed him with a small smile that she obviously didn't mean. Walking away, Scully was surprised when she looked up to say goodbye that Mulder had gone.

"Mulder?" she asked, poking her head out of the still open door, wondering where he could have gone. She jumped as the passenger side of her car opened and closed with a bang, and turned to see the mischievous grin on her partner's face. "Mulder, what the hell are you doing?"

Mulder sighed. "Taking some more time with the woman I love," he said simply, watching her face and seeing her melt slightly at his words before the hard look came back.

"You can't come with me, Mulder. You know that."

There was a kind of pleading in her voice as she fought with herself against wanting him to stay with her and knowing that he would only be safe he if stayed there. He smiled, the mischievous look coming back again.

"Who said that I was coming with you?"

Scully faltered, looking at him in pure confusion as he continued to grin at her.

"Mulder...I don't understand."

"Well, put it this way Scully. Nobody knows you're here, we're perfectly safe right now, and I think it's about time you saw my bachelor pad. Don't you think?"

Scully looked uncomfortable for a moment as she considered the possible dangers that she was putting them both in. Eventually, the smile spread over her own face as she realised that Mulder was right, and there was probably no danger in driving him back to his house.

"Besides," he continued, "it's cruel to let a man walk home when you have the car!"

Scully shook her head, grinning across at him as she started the ignition, slowly moving the car out of the dusty car park and in the opposite direction to normal, the happy feeling spreading through her as she realised that she had more time with him.

*

Scully laughed heartily as Mulder pulled her into the bright and sunny apartment. He grinned down at her as he wrapped his arms firmly around her, pulling her even closer to him.

"You make me feel better just by laughing like that, Scully," he whispered, and as she searched his face Scully was pleased to see that he looked happier, the healthy glint back in his eyes again and colour back in his cheeks. She suspected that she looked exactly the same.

"I'm happy just to be around you," she replied, blushing slightly as she dropped her eyes from his gaze.

Looking up again, Scully wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down so that he was on her level. Leaning forwards, she kissed him passionately, running her fingers through the hair at the top of his neck and causing him to moan slightly. He ran his hands down her sides, his mind lost in the moment of being back with his Scully.

Pulling away after a while, Scully, grinned up at him, breathless still from the intensity of the kiss. She traced his lips gently with her fingers, watching as he kissed each finger individually as it glanced over.

"I've waited so long to do that," she murmured, causing Mulder to groan and pull her into a tight hug again. "So, what did you have planned for the evening, now that you're lured me to your lair?"

Mulder chuckled at the dig, loosening his hold so that he could brush her hair from her face. He was overwhelmed by the tender look of love and pure trust that she was showing him, all hardness gone from her expression now.

"I have a few ideas," he quipped with a wink, picking her up and kissing away the shriek that she gave at the unexpected movement. Slowly, he made his way to his bedroom, careful not to hit anything on the way. Placing Scully gently down on the bed, he smiled lovingly at her as he moved back to close the door behind him.


	5. Twists and Turns

Hi everyone! Well I'm sorry that this has taken so long for me to post, but I made it longer to compensate! And I hope that there are still some people out there reading :) Hope this part is OK!

* * *

Scully awoke with a start, looking anxiously around the room. She sat bolt upright, willing her sleepy brain to catch up and explain why she was sitting in a bedroom other than her own. Looking down, she saw the body of Mulder lying next to her, and suddenly it all make sense. Her movements woke him, and he grinned at her.

"Morning," he said with a yawn, suddenly realising that something was wrong when she remained on edge and didn't reply. "Scully? What's wrong?"

"Oh God, Mulder, what have I done? I fell asleep! What are we going to do?"

Pulling her to him, Mulder tried to stop his frantic partner from climbing out of bed. She wriggled against him, calming slightly when he rubbed the back of her neck with one hand, the other still holding her firmly against him.

"Shh, Scully, it's alright! What does it matter if you stayed the night?"

"I've put you in so much danger, Mulder! What if someone saw? What if someone sees me leave? What if someone recognises my car now that it's light?"

She pulled away and hopped out of bed, grabbing at her clothes and throwing them on in such a haphazard way that Mulder had to laugh at her. Getting out himself, he touched her face gently, making her look at him. He was shocked by the fear that he saw radiating out of her eyes.

"Scully, please, calm down. It's going to be alright!"

She shook her head violently, pulling away from him. "It's not alright, Mulder! I was stupid, I've put you in danger, and there's no good reason for it! A moment of happiness could take away a whole lifetime of happiness."

Pushing aside the fact that Scully just admitted that she was happy last night, and hinted that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, Mulder planted himself firmly in front of the door, making Scully jump as she headed for the door, hardly looking where Mulder was. He smiled, holding her shoulders firmly but gently.

"Scully, I cannot let you leave like this! You're in no state to drive. You have to calm down, or I'm not letting you out."

Taking deep breaths, Scully willed herself to calm down. Eventually, she looked up at Mulder again who was watching her anxiously. He felt himself relax slightly to see that some of the panic had gone, and that she was standing much calmer. Smiling, he moved to one side to let her through the door.

"I'll see you next week, Mulder, but we can't do this again. Not until you're safe." She smiled. "Not that I didn't enjoy it," she added as a whisper.

Mulder nodded, pulling her hand gently so that she fell forwards against him. He kissed her deeply, letting his hands roam over her face as if he were mapping it to remind himself of her features once she had gone. When he finally let her go, Scully had to hold onto the doorframe for a moment, her legs not co-operating with her thoughts. Mulder let out a bark of a laugh, caressing her cheek gently as Scully sorted herself.

"Drive carefully, Scully. I want you in one piece for next week!"

Smiling, Scully took one last look at Mulder before turning down the corridor. Looking over her shoulder at the stairs, she saw that he was still looking after her with concern evident on his face, even from that distance. She shook her head, wondering what she had done to deserve someone like him.

Driving down the fast road back to DC, Scully smiled to herself. It might not be the ideal situation, but she was thankful for the small bits of time that she got to spend with Mulder while they were forcibly separated. She was lost in her own thoughts, planning how things would be when he finally got back. So she didn't notice the car waiting on the DC border for her return. Nor did she realise that the car was following her as she drove back to her apartment, lost in her own thoughts...

*

Scully sat on the sofa, flicking through the case file again for anything that she could have missed that would pin the information on one of the two men on the pictures in front of her. She sighed, rubbing the ache in the back of her neck, before a slow smile spread over her face as she remembered the night before.

Suddenly, a creaking caused her to sit bolt upright on the sofa. Grabbing her gun from the table in front of her, Scully made her way slowly to the door of the living room, praying to God that Mulder hadn't done anything stupid.

She never really knew what happened. As she went around the corner, a huge pain hit her on the side of her head before she felt her legs crumple. She didn't even remember hitting the floor, before the darkness swallowed her. Her last thought was of Mulder, hoping that he was alright.

*

Checking his watch, Mulder felt the worry beginning to fill him painfully. It wasn't like Scully to be late, and he had been sitting in the diner for the last three hours. The darkness was already starting to set in. Deciding that he couldn't wait anymore, he headed towards the diner door, ignoring the sympathetic look that the waitress threw him when she realised that Mulder's other half had not turned up.

As soon as he made it safely into his borrowed apartment, Mulder grabbed at the phone, dialling the familiar number.

"FBI," came a female voice, and Mulder felt his own voice catch in his throat as he cleared his throat.

"Yeah, this is Agent Mulder. Could I speak to A.D. Skinner?"

"One moment please."

Mulder stood fidgeting with the corner of his shirt as he anxiously waited for Skinner to answer the phone. All of the possible scenarios ran through his mind as he tried to ignore most of them, a sickening feeling in the bottom of his stomach.

"Mulder?" came a familiar voice, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he had at least managed to get in touch with Skinner.

"Sir, where's Agent Scully?" he asked, trying to keep the quiver out of his voice as he did so. He heard Skinner sigh on the other end of the phone, and braced himself for any information that he may be about to hear.

"We don't know, Mulder. She failed to turn up for work five days ago and when I went to her apartment I found no sign of her."

Mulder stood still for a moment, his mind and body frozen in time as the news sank in. Scully was gone. And there was no way that she would have voluntarily left.

"Why the hell was I not informed? I just...I can't believe you didn't tell me!" he shouted down the phone, not caring that he was speaking to his boss.

"Now just take it easy, Mulder. Scully put your safety above everything else and I know she wouldn't want you to do anything stupid."

"My safety? What about her safety? What if we don't find her, what then? I'm coming back."

"Mulder, just stop. Think about this. What are you going to do? We're covering everything that we can think of to find her. There's no reason for you to put yourself in danger too."

"I can't just sit here doing nothing! I have to find her," he muttered.

Skinner sighed again, knowing that he was not going to win this argument. Looking around to ensure that nobody was listening, he leaned closer to the phone.

"Fine, meet me in my office as soon as you get back."

*

Mulder ran up the FBI building stairs two at a time, not caring that people were looking at him like he was insane as they scurried to move out of his way. It had only taken him two and a half hours to get back, but somehow he knew that Skinner would be ready to see him.

He knocked on the office door, smiling at the receptionist as he heard the stressed voice of his boss shouting for him to come in. As soon as he saw Mulder standing there, Skinner gestured to one of the seats in front of his desk. He had known that Mulder would get there as soon as he could, he had not expected it to be this soon.

"What's going on, sir? What do you already know?" Mulder asked, as soon as he had reached the seat. Skinner sighed, knowing that it was not going to be easy to deal with his worked-up agent.

"She made it back to her apartment on Tuesday after being out somewhere on Monday night. There was obviously some kind of struggle because we found a turned over table and some blood on the carpet, but we've heard nothing from her since."

Mulder felt himself starting to hyperventilate, and dropped his head to his hands. He reminded himself firmly that he was going to be no help to Scully if he couldn't even manage to control himself. Getting it together, he looked up to see Skinner watching him cautiously.

"Did you hear anything from her kidnappers?" he asked hoarsely, annoyed that it was so obvious how affected he was by this information.

Skinner shook his head sadly. "I think the thing we're most confused about at the moment is where Scully was on the Monday night. We're thinking maybe she found something on this case that she wasn't supposed to."

Mulder shook his head, feeling even worse, especially after he told her that it would be OK. He wished that he had listened to her, despite how much he had enjoyed having her with him. It had just never occurred to him that this could happen.

"She was with me, sir," he said quietly. Skinner looked up instantly, seeing the broken agent in front of him.

"She was what? What was she doing with you?"

Mulder blushed slightly. "We've been meeting once a week at this diner in the middle of nowhere. I convinced her to come back with me for a while and we fell asleep."

Skinner sighed, rubbing his face. "Well I don't think I need to tell you that that was a pretty stupid idea!"

He watched Mulder nod and look at the floor. It was the first time he had seen Mulder with all the fight gone. He stood and moved to the front of his desk, clapping Mulder on the shoulder.

"We'll find her, Mulder. And until then, you'll be staying with me. I can at least keep one of you safe, and Scully will not be impressed when we find her if I've lost you!"

Mulder nodded, standing from his seat. "What can I do?"

"Go down to the ops room and see Agent Rawlins, he's leading this case under me. He'll give you something to do." He watched as Mulder made his way slowly to the door. "Oh, and Agent Mulder? You have to keep a low profile while you're here. I can't protect you if they know where you are."

"Yes, sir," Mulder said, closing the door softly behind him.

*

Scully felt the world spinning as she attempted to open her eyes. Closing them again with a groan, she waited a few minutes before trying again. Her heart jumped as she looked around a plain concrete room, with no idea how she got there. Trying to move her hands, she was annoyed to find that they were firmly strapped to her chair with duct tape, as were her feet. Her mouth was free however. Her head was pounding around the side, and she could feel dried blood on her temple and cheek.

A door squeaked open on her left, and she looked up instantly, her breath catching in her throat. A man that she didn't recognise was making his way slowly down the small set of concrete steps towards her. She wriggled slightly against her binds, but to no avail.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" she spat, hatred filling her face as the man moved to stand in front of her.

A slow chuckle left the man, making the hairs stand up on Scully's arms.

"You know exactly what we want, and until you tell us we're going to make life very difficult for you, Agent Scully," he spat, his hands pressing painfully into her arms on the chair, making her pull away from his angry face.

"I don't know anything," she replied quietly, watching as the anger intensified on the man's face.

"Wrong answer," he replied, his fist coming backwards.

Scully tuned out as she had before, letting the blows fall but hardly feeling them. Her body reacted, but her mind hardly acknowledged the fact. In her head, she was sitting on a sunny beach with Mulder, enjoying the sound of the sea. _Mulder_. She hoped that wherever he was, he was safe. Otherwise, all of this was for nothing.


	6. Yearnings

Hi guys, I am so so sorry that it has taken me so long to upload! But I hope this was worth the wait, and it's alright :S Let me know what you think if you have the time, if not then thanks very much for reading and I hope that it's not too bad for you all!

* * *

The following day, Skinner sat in the basement with Mulder, flicking through the information that he had just given him from the team leader. He sighed, knowing that they were no closer to getting a lead on how to find Scully.

"I just don't understand it! Why has nobody told us what they want?" Mulder asked irritably, banging his fist on the desk in frustration. Skinner nodded, understanding how Mulder must be feeling. He was also desperate to get Scully back.

The phone ringing on Mulder's desk made them both jump. Reaching it first, Skinner picked up the receiver, his heart plummeting when he heard the voice on the other end of the phone.

"I want to speak with Agent Mulder," the male voice said, snarling the name at the end.

"Agent Mulder is not in the office at the moment. Can I help?" Skinner asked, barely containing the rage in his voice. Somehow, he just knew that this was the man that he was after.

The voice laughed. "I know that he's there. He wouldn't stay away in case there was a chance that he could help his precious partner."

Angrily, Skinner thrust the phone in Mulder's direction, barely keeping his temper. Shaking slightly, Mulder took the phone from his boss.

"This is Mulder," he said quietly.

"Agent Mulder! I have someone rather important to you sitting right here," the voice leered, making Mulder's blood boil. He clenched his hands into fists as he listened.

"I want to talk to her. If you've done anything to her..."

"You'll what? Well, no harm in proving that she's alive. For now."

Mulder waited, his heart in his throat as cracking sounded over the phone. He realised that the man was indeed passing the phone over to Scully.

"Mulder?" came a familiar, croaky voice. He felt tears welling in his eyes when he recognised that she was speaking in barely more than a whisper.

"Scully!" he breathed, pressing his hand to his forehead. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, Mulder. Are you alright?"

He could tell that she wasn't, and his voice caught for a moment as he tried to answer. He could not believe that this incredible woman was still worrying about him, despite her own situation.

"Me? I'm doing great. Don't worry, Scully, we're coming for you. Just do what they want you to. Please. And I'm going to come for you, I promise..."

He was cut off by the sound of the phone changing hands again. He felt the frustration rising in him again. All he really wanted to do was kill the man on the other end of the phone, whoever he was. He swore to himself that he would if he hurt her.

"Well, you're going to have to be more persuasive than that next time Agent Mulder, because if I don't get the information that I want by the end of the week, the slut dies."

Mulder jumped as the phone was suddenly put down. He slid weakly into his chair, Skinner moving to take the phone from him and put it back down on the cradle.

"What information?" Mulder asked, looking straight at Skinner who had been listening through an earpiece looked almost affected by the weak sound of Scully as Mulder was.

"I wish I knew," he replied softly, watching as Mulder buried his face in his hands. He willed Scully to believe him that he would get to her, although he knew that he was fast running out of time.

*

Scully looked up, not able to keep the fear out of her eyes as the man appeared again. She tried to force herself to be rational, and to remember everything that she could so that they could catch him at a later date. He had dark hair, dark skin and a lot of stubble. He wasn't too tall, but muscles bulged on his arms. His eyes were cold, which stood out to her the most.

"What do you want?" she asked tearfully, watching as he walked up and down in front of her, and wishing for any way that she could change this situation.

"Don't play stupid, Dana. We both know that you know perfectly well what I want!"

"I can't give you that information!" she sobbed, wishing that she could move her arms so that she could brush the tears off that were giving away just how afraid that she was.

"Is it really worth all of this!" he shouted, making her jump at the ferocity of his anger. "I don't want to hurt you, but you keep giving me no choice!"

"Please," she whispered, as she saw that he had brought a mallet with him. It was no use, as he swung it back, aiming it perfectly at her knee. She shouted out as the pain ripped through her like a hot knife, wanting to hold the injury and knowing that she couldn't. He dropped the mallet instantly, walking quickly out of the room and leaving her alone in the dark. _Be strong, Scully, this is all for Mulder_ she told herself as she willed her brain to think of anything but the intense pain that seemed to be radiating from everywhere.


	7. A Lead Too Late

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay again, exams and all that gets in the way :( Thanks for the reviews though, and thanks to everyone else for reading! I hope this next bit is OK, let me know what you think :)

* * *

"Sir, we have a fingerprint!" came the excited voice of a young agent as Skinner sat once again in Mulder's office, half afraid that he would do something stupid if he let him out of his sight for too long. He jumped out of his chair instantly, grabbing the file from the young boy's hands.

"Did you find a match?" he barked, passing the folder over to Mulder who flicked it open instantly, starting a check on his computer.

"Not yet, sir, we only just pulled the print."

Mulder drummed his fingers impatiently on his desk as he waited for the scan to complete. When he did, his heart froze and his breath caught in his throat. Skinner was by his side instantly, peering over his shoulder at the face on the screen.

"What is it, Mulder? I don't recognise the face."

"It's the first guy I put away in the violent crimes section. I didn't know he'd got out," he replied, stopping for a moment. When he turned to look at Skinner, his boss could instantly see the sorrow written across his face. "That means that whatever he wants has something to do with me. This is all my fault."

Skinner shook his head. "This is all that man's fault, Mulder, you didn't ask for this. You can't blame yourself. Scully would never blame you. And we're going to find her, so you need a clear head so that you can help."

Mulder nodded, clicking on the print button as he watched the horrible face being copied again and again in black and white, knowing that for the next few days it would haunt him everywhere he went.

"Sir, there's an address and car registered to that man," the young agent said, pointing to the screen from the other side of Mulder, causing both of the men to jump and stare at the obvious that they had missed.

Mulder jumped straight out of his chair, grabbing his coat from off the hook. He jumped as Skinner appeared in front of him, his hands up and a harsh expression on his face.

"You stay here, Mulder. I will go and check that address, but there is no way that you can be that close to that man. I just can't allow it."

"You can't stop me, sir! I have to go. I have to know that she's alright!"

"And you will." Skinner sighed, rubbing his face. "I'll call as soon as I know anything. But it's not safe enough for you out there, Mulder. You **have** to keep yourself safe so that you're here to help Scully when we get her back. And so she doesn't kick my ass for getting you into trouble."

Nodding irritably, Mulder threw himself back down into the chair, shrugging out of his coat and staring moodily at his computer screen. Sighing, Skinner made sure that he really wasn't going to move before walking out of the office. He had never seen such a picture of sadness as the broken man in that office, and prayed that Scully would be at this address so that they could get her back and Mulder would be able to heal. Hopefully.

*

Breaking through the door, Skinner held his gun in front of him, shouting out that he was from the FBI. He lowered his arm in frustration as the room he walked into was covered with dust. Nobody had lived there for a while.

"I don't think he's here, but search it anyway," Skinner told his team. They nodded, as Skinner ran his hand over his face. He had really needed Scully to be in this place. This was their only lead.

He span around when one of the back room doors opened, his gun instantly raised again. He soon lowered it again when he saw a small old lady standing there, a frying pan in her hand. She looked at him in confusion, keeping the pain raised by her head like a funny form of Yoda.

"I'm Assistant Director Skinner with the FBI," Skinner told her, pulling out his ID for her to see. She lowered the pain, moving forwards towards him.

"I see. And do you usually burst in on elderly women, Mr Skinner?" she asked, making Skinner smile despite himself.

"I'm sorry. I was under the impression that Gary Bailey lived here. Obviously we were mistaken."

"Gary? What did he do now?" she asked, groaning as she banged her forehead with her hand.

"Wait a minute, you know him?" Skinner asked, confusion plain on his face.

"I'm his mother. Not that I like admitting it. He's done nothing but bring shame onto this family."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm going to have to ask you to come with me." He held out his arm to point her in the direction of the door, seeing her sigh but shuffle forwards obediently. "Search the place for anything at all you can find that will help with this case," he ordered the team.

"Save your time, dear, he hasn't been back here since he left jail and I threw him out."

Skinner nodded, following the tiny woman out of the house. Looking back, he saw that the rooms were already being ransacked by his team. Convinced that he had done all that he could, Skinner slipped into the car beside the woman, directing the officer to get them back to the FBI building.

*

Mulder paced anxiously outside the interview room. He could see Skinner talking to a small, grey haired woman through the window, but could hear nothing. The waiting was killing him. He willed Skinner to find something soon, before they found that they were too late.

Skinner briefly glanced at the door, well aware that Mulder had been pacing there since he got back, and that he was getting more and more worked up with every second that passed. Not that he could blame him for that reaction. Pushing that information to the back of his mind, Skinner concentrated all of his attention to the woman in front of him.

"When was the last time you saw your son?" he asked, seeing her snort and look of into the distance.

"When the little git got out of prison a few months ago, and tried to come home. So I turned him out on his ear."

He nodded. "Have you any idea where he might go?" Skinner asked, watching as the woman hesitated. "He has one of our agents with him who he kidnapped, and we are desperately trying to get her back."

Mrs Bailey seemed to sit up straighter at the information that the agent was female. She sighed, looking off into the distance for a moment before she met Skinner's eye again.

"My son was evil before he was first arrested, Mr Skinner. He may be my son, but he has brought such disgrace on this family." She stopped, as if willing Skinner to understand why she was willing to help them, against her son.

"Where would be go?" Skinner asked again gently. She sighed.

"There was a deserted beach that we used to use in Florida when we were on holiday. Right off the track past the end of the normal beach."

"Thank you," Skinner said, standing to leave before he felt the woman's hand on his arm. "Don't worry, we won't let him know how we found the information."

She smiled at him sadly, watching as he rushed out of the door. He banged straight into Mulder, who looked up at him in anticipation.

"We have a lead. You wait here, I'll keep you informed."

Skinner ran off in the direction of the FBI car park, shouting into his phone as he did so to mobilise other people. Unable to feel useless any more, Mulder followed slowly behind him. Waiting until Skinner had jumped into his own car and sped off following one of the police cars, Mulder flashed his badge at a young officer, hopping into the back of the second police car. He felt his stomach churn as they set off, praying that Scully would be alright when they finally got there.

*

Scully whimpered as the man appeared in front of her again, steeling herself to answer whatever question he had without giving anything away. She was surprised when instead of a question, a fist came towards her, catching her face painfully. She didn't have time to dissociate her mind this time, feeling every blow that came her way until a blackness started to creep around the edge of her vision, causing her to lean fowards in her chair, the bindings the only thing holding her in it.

"Tell me what I want to know," came the all too familiar voice, only there was a harshness in his tone this time that Scully had never heard before.

"I can't tell you that," she replied through the blood that was dripping unchecked from the cuts on her face, dripping from her lips and nose where she could taste the metallic taste of it before it mingled with the blood from the gash on her forehead.

The man sat back on his feet, crouching in front of Scully and raising her head painfully by the hair. Annoyed, she cracked open her eyes painfully, fixing him with a hate filled gaze that was still full of fear.

"I didn't want it to go down this way. I must admit that I didn't expect you to be quite so stubborn. Not for that no good son of a bitch anyway. But if you're not going to tell me what I want to know, you're no use to me."

Scully's eyes widened in fear as he pulled out a knife, what little light there was entering the cold, dark room reflecting menacingly off the blade. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart started to beat faster, her eyes never leaving the knife.

"I'm going to give you one more chance. Tell me what I want to know," he repeated, waving the knife slowly in front of her, as Scully gulped, her eyes watching it's movement, terrified.


	8. Finding Hope

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all the kind reviews!! And thanks everyone else for reading and sticking with me. I hope this next part is alright :)

* * *

Skinner jumped out of the car before it had even stopped moving, searching for anywhere that could possibly be hiding two people. He stopped as he heard a familiar voice, and turned to see Mulder running towards him.

"Mulder! What the hell are you doing here?" he yelled, the fury evident on his face as Mulder came to a stop in front of him.

"I couldn't just sit there not knowing what was going on, sir. I have to find her!"

"Mulder, if you even _think _about moving from this exact spot..." he started, until Mulder pointing interrupted him.

Spinning around, Skinner saw the broken down shack that he was pointing at. He followed his train of thought instantly, knowing that it was the most likely place for someone to be hiding in the deserted area.

"You stay right here, Mulder! We'll find her, but you cannot be involved in this, you're too close to her. Am I making myself clear?"

Mulder opened his mouth to argue, and then closed it again, nodding sullenly. Skinner nodded to the police standing by, instructing them to make sure that Mulder didn't move, and then ran off in the direction of the shack. Mulder stood rooted to the spot as he watched the team moving closer to the shack. Pacing as they disappeared from his sight, he prayed to God that they had the right place, and that they got there in time.

*

Scully's eyes never left the knife as it hovered in front of her face. Realising her mouth was hanging open, she closed it quickly, still tracking the slow movements of the shiny metal as it was waved in front of her.

"Tell me!" he shouted, his face only inches from her own.

She closed her eyes, turning her head away from this man in defeat, muttering as she prayed to God that whatever happened, he would keep Mulder safe. She was not sure which came first, the unexpected bang of the door opening and hitting the wall, or the searing pain and hot feeling coming from blood running down her side when the knife had finally come to rest.

Scully blinked against the light that was too bright for her unaccustomed eyes. Groaning, she looked down to see the handle of the knife in her side, wondering for a moment why it was still there, until her eyes tracked further down and she saw her captor lying on the floor, blood spilling from his shoulder.

Looking up as far as she could through the exhaustion, she saw Skinner standing in the doorway, his gun raised. He seemed to be moving in slow motion as she saw his arm drop, and his body turn as he started to run across the room towards her. The blackness started to swallow her as she heard Skinner shouting for her to hold on, before she slipped into the blissful, pain-free unconsciousness.

*

Mulder's mouth fell open and he stood in complete shock as he saw the lifeless form of Scully being rushed from the shack and into the waiting ambulance, people shouting orders over each other. He had known that she would be injured, but he had never expected anything this bad.

Skinner saw him standing watching, walking quickly over to him as he still stayed rooted to the spot, watching the ambulance whisk Scully away.

"Mulder?" he asked as he got closer, seeing him pull his gaze away slowly, his mouth shutting soundlessly. "She's going to be OK, Mulder."

He sank to his knees on the dusty floor, cradling his head in his hands. Skinner felt for him, crouching next to him and placing his hand gently onto Mulder's shoulder.

"Why her, sir, why her?" Mulder asked, repeating the sentence again and again. Skinner patted his shoulder uncomfortably before he put his hand under his arm, hauling him to his feet.

"Come on, Mulder, let's get you out of here," he said as he supported him, waving at the nearest police office to bring a car as he looked with concern at his ashen-faced agent.

*

Mulder sat holding Scully's hand, listening to the machines beep all around her and wishing, not for the first time, that he understood what they meant. Most of her injuries were hidden from him now that she had a sheet covering her, but judging from the state of her face he knew what to expect. It seemed like there wasn't a single part of her skin that wasn't discoloured from bruising or cuts. The swelling alone must have been agony for her, and he felt his heart break for what she had suffered without him being able to help.

The door slid open, and a young doctor appeared. He smiled at Mulder, checking the machines and charts before scribbling down a few orders. He shone a light in her eyes a few times, before finally looking over at Mulder.

"She's doing really well considering what she's been through. Hopefully she'll wake up soon," he added, giving Mulder a reassuring smile. He sighed, the only good thing about the situation being that she was breathing on her own, with only some help from oxygen.

Mulder nodded, seeing the doctor watching him with concern before heading off again. He almost didn't notice that Skinner had entered the room as his gaze had gone straight back to Scully as soon as the doctor had left, as if his strength could be transferred to her and help her to fight back.

"Agent Mulder, you need to go and take a break," he said, putting his hand on his shoulder gently.

"I'm not leaving her, sir," he answered, his eyes never leaving hers as he replied. Skinner sighed, knowing that this was going to be difficult.

"That was not a request, Mulder. Either go and get a shower and some food before you collapse yourself or I'll ban you from visiting at all."

Mulder turned and threw Skinner a furious glare, before he saw the concern in his boss's eyes and his own face softened.

"Go, Mulder, even if it's just for an hour. I promise I won't leave this room until you get back. She won't have to wake up alone."

Sighing, Mulder nodded, hating to admit to himself that he was exhausted and hungry. He stood up, leaving the seat free for Skinner.

"I'll be back in an hour, sir," he promised, seeing Skinner nod as he sat down.

"Take your time, Mulder."

He paused at the door, looking back one last time to see Scully's pale features before turning and leaving the room. Skinner breathed a sigh of relief that he had managed to get through to Mulder, leaning back in his chair and opening the newspaper after taking one last sad look at Scully to make sure that she was still alright.

*

Scully blinked painfully, her eyes desperately trying to focus on the white of the ceiling. She forced herself to calm down, hearing a steady beeping in the background and realising that she was in a hospital. Turning her head slowly, she saw Skinner sitting in the chair by her bed, the paper in his hands. As he turned the page he looked up, seeing Scully looking tiredly back at him.

"Oh my God, Scully, how are you feeling?" he asked, jumping to his feet to stand closer to her.

"I'm fine, sir," she replied weakly, her voice cracking slightly. He sighed, knowing that she wasn't fine but not wanting to push her. "Mulder?"

"He's fine, Scully, he went to get a shower and something to eat. Can I do anything to help?" he asked, hovering uncertainly. She nodded.

"Water."

He nodded, almost spilling the water in his effort to pour it quickly for her. He handed her the glass, before realising that she wouldn't be able to manage it on her own. Changing tack, he tipped the glass gently against her lips, letting her drink until she pulled away slightly. She smiled at him.

"Thanks." He nodded, and sat back in his chair. "Sir, can I ask a favour?" she asked, her voice sounding slightly stronger.

"Anything, Scully. If I can do it, I will."

"I can't...I...sir, I can't face Mulder at the moment. Please, don't let him visit."

Her eyes were desperate, and he felt sadness rising for this woman who had been through such a lot. Leaning forwards, he gently took her hand.

"I don't understand, Scully, why wouldn't you want to see him? He's been tearing his hair out waiting for you to wake up, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep him away."

She sighed, starting up a brief narrative of what happened in the shack, missing out everything that she could without losing her meaning. She saw Skinner take in everything that she said and nod slowly.

"OK, Scully, I'll do my best to keep him away. You know how stubborn he is though."

She nodded, looking down at her hands. She wished there had been a way that she could have not given Skinner that information, but there was no way that he would help her if he hadn't known why.

"But Scully, you have to talk to him at some point you know. He's going to find out at some point."

She nodded, closing her eyes in exhaustion and pressing the button for more pain relief, just registering that Skinner was watching her with concern before the combination of morphine and fatigue caused her to slip asleep again.


	9. Too Much In Love To Care

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the really kind reviews! I was really touched that you guys took the time to write and were really supportive :) I hope the next part is OK for you all! Nearly finished now :)

* * *

Mulder rushed through the corridors, seeing Skinner stand up and leave Scully's room as he saw him bolting in that direction.

"Mulder, did you even go home?" Skinner asked as he closed the door behind him, walking towards his agent. Mulder nodded fervently.

"Yes, sir, it's been an hour." His jaw dropped for a moment as he saw Scully's eyes flicker open again, before a huge smile took over him. "She's awake!"

"Easy, Mulder," Skinner said as he held him back by the shoulders. He saw Mulder look at him confusion, and then frowned slightly. Skinner sighed and rubbed his face. "She doesn't want to see you right now, Mulder."

Mulder stepped backwards, obviously distraught by this news. "But, I don't understand. Why would Scully not want to see me? I have to see her, sir, and make sure she's alright. And ask her what's going on because this isn't like her and I don't get it!"

"Calm down, Mulder. I can't let you go in there, you know that. Just be patient, she'll come around."

"How do you know that, sir, if you don't even know what's wrong!"

Skinner sighed. "She can't cope with seeing you now, Mulder, but she will want to see you soon. You know that she needs you as much as you need her. Just give her time."

Mulder nodded sadly, and Skinner couldn't ever remember seeing anyone look so dejected and heartbroken. He turned to leave, deep in thought as he walked down the corridor, leaving Skinner to sit outside Scully's room, unsure what to do for the best to help his agents.

*

Mulder waited around the corner until he saw Skinner's head loll forwards. He knew his superior was just as tired as he was, after searching round the clock for Scully, and that it was only a matter of time before he fell asleep. Sneaking as quietly as he could past him, Mulder opened the door to Scully's room and closed it silently, turning to see that she was fast asleep in her bed.

She woke the instant she felt the bed dip, and looked up into the softly smiling face of Mulder. He brushed some hair from her face and tucked it gently behind her ear as she watched him in confusion.

"Hey Scully," he muttered quietly, looking into her sad eyes. "How're you feeling?"

She attempted to shuffle up the bed so that she was sitting to talk to him properly, but gave up when a wave of pain shot through her. She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she pressed the pain relief button again. When she opened them again she saw that Mulder was watching her anxiously.

"What are you doing here, Mulder?" she asked, coughing briefly against her dry throat.

Reading her mind, Mulder leant over to pick up the glass that Skinner had used earlier, holding it up to her lips again for her to drink. She coughed harder, the stress finally getting to her, and left Mulder at a loss as to what to do.

"Easy, Scully, easy. I'm sorry, I know you didn't want to see me. But I had to come and reassure myself that you were alright."

She looked away, keeping her eyes fixed on the wall that was furthest away from him. Mulder felt his heart break, but said nothing.

"I can't see you yet, Mulder. I'm sorry, I just...I can't do this. Please don't do this to me."

He sighed, pushing all of the emotion down so that he could think properly.

"What is it, Scully? Why can't you trust me after all this time, and everything we've been through, and with how much we mean to each other?"

She heard the sadness in his voice, and hoped that he didn't see the tears that were running silently down her cheeks. She sniffed slightly, clearing her sore throat.

"It's more complicated than that..." she started, before stopping as the door to her room opened and the young doctor appeared again.

"Good to see you're awake Miss Scully!" he said cheerfully, nodding to Mulder with a smile. "You're doing really well considering. You had quite a deep laceration to your spleen and a nick on your stomach, but we managed to repair both, although you're going to be sore for a while. The knife did a good job! Obviously you already knew that your knee was broken, but that was more serious than we'd originally hoped. It's going to take a long time to heal it, but we'll talk about that when you're feeling a bit stronger. Apart from that you have a large amounts of cuts and bruises and a few broken ribs, but we're very pleased with your progress, especially with the amount of head injury that you've had, but the CT was normal."

Scully nodded and smiled, the news largely what she had already known or expected. She cleared her throat again, looking up at the doctor who was now standing by her side casually.

"What now?" she asked, watching as he flipped open her chart.

"Well, your blood pressure is a little high, although that's understandable after what you've been through. Although clearly after major surgery it's not ideal, so we're going to keep you in the ICU for a bit longer until that's settled. Then we'll move you to a normal ward while we deal with your leg and work out the best way to help you with that. Obviously with your other condition we're being a little more cautious..."

"Thank you," Scully said, interrupting him before he could continue. He looked confused for a moment, before he saw that Mulder's eyes had shot straight to her face at his last sentence. He blushed slightly.

"Well, if there's anything else you need then just give us a call. Like I said, you're doing really well, and we'll cross all the other bridges when we come to them. OK?"

He smiled and replaced her chart, closing the door behind him as he left the two agents together. Scully sighed, and studiously looked away from Mulder again.

"Scully, what did he mean 'other condition'? Are you sick?"

He sat anxiously by her, picking up her hand when she didn't instantly answer and feeling her flinch. He sighed, but moved his hands away again.

"I'm fine, Mulder. He just means because of the situation."

"Come on, Scully, I'm not stupid. He would have said that if he'd meant that."

He waited for her to reply, and soon realised that she was not going to. He stood up and paced in front of her bed, his hands rubbing his face and the strain of the situation finally showing. When he finally looked up again, he saw that Scully was watching him apprehensively, tears running down her face freely.

"Please, Scully, don't push me away. Tell me what you're thinking. Because I have no idea what to do or how to help you! And honestly, you're really scaring me right now, and I just need to know. If it's bad news, then we'll deal with it together, I promise! Just please, don't do this!"

"I can't tell you, Mulder. I can't do that to you," she replied, her voice small and shaking with emotion.

He moved to sit on the edge of her bed again, this time pleased when she looked in his direction, taking it as a step in the right direction. Moving slowly, he wiped the tears from her face, feeling her flinch but not pull away this time.

"You can tell me anything, Scully. I won't get angry, or judge you, or not be able to handle it. I promise."

He smiled encouragingly at her. She looked up into his eyes, feeling her resolve wavering. When his hand moved to caress her cheek with a whisper of "Scully" she was lost, and the tears started to flow. He pulled himself further onto the bed, pulling her closer to him so that she was resting on the lower part of his chest with his arms around her.

"It was horrible, Mulder," she sobbed, breath coming in great gasps that sent pain shooting across her side. "He had me tied to a chair and kept asking questions I couldn't answer. He beat me if I didn't answer. He hit my knee with a mallet when I couldn't tell him what he wanted to know. It was almost a relief when he finally stabbed me because it was going to be over."

"Shh, Scully, try and calm down. It's going to be OK now, I'll never let anyone hurt you again."

She took a couple of deep breaths, looking up to see a look of horror on his face at what he had just heard, mixed with sadness that he couldn't stop it. But he didn't break down, and looked down at her softly, pleased that her breathing slowed again and the monitors all stopped bleeping quite so fast.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised again, feeling her move slightly underneath him. He looked down and instantly knew that there was something that she wasn't telling him. "What is it, Dana?"

She looked up at him instantly at the tender use of her first name as he had known that she would. He searched her eyes, seeing her sigh with resignation and fear.

"This isn't your fault, Mulder. I want you to remember that, no matter what you hear."

"What do you mean, what I hear?" he asked, watching as she clammed up again and looked away. "The question that he was asking had something to do with me didn't it?"

She said nothing, stiffening slightly in his arms so that he knew that he was right. He sighed, wishing not for the first time that things had been different for her. All he seemed to do was bring pain and suffering into her life when he wanted to do the opposite.

"Please, Scully, talk to me. What did he want to know?"

She was startled by the sad heaviness in his voice, and way he still asked her gently, despite the shaking that had appeared in its tone. She felt the tears starting to fall again, and knew that he would feel it beneath his T-shirt.

"Please don't ask me that, Mulder. You don't need to know, and I don't know how to tell you."

"Scully, I can't help you if I don't understand what happened," he replied, his hand stroking her hair softly as he felt the wetness from her tears on his chest. "It's OK to tell me."

She sobbed into his shirt. "He wanted to know where your safe house was. But I didn't tell them, Mulder, you know I couldn't do that. I wouldn't tell them, I'd never tell them."

He shushed her gently, letting her sobs carry on against him as he tightened his hold on her. He knew how much of an effect the experience had had on her by the uncharacteristic speech. Yet as he sat there, it suddenly dawned on his that she suffered this much pain just to keep him safe. After everything, he had been more important to her than her own life. He was speechless at finally understanding that she loved him just as much as he loved her. He may always feel that this was his fault, but she voluntarily stopped the man from getting to him.

He felt Scully move and looked down, his eyes radiating love towards her even as the tears continued to fall down his face. She reached up painfully and wiped them away.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," she admitted, wanting to take away the hurt that she had just caused. He caught her hand and kissed the palm gently, shaking his head.

"No, you did the right thing, Scully. I'm just...I'm sorry that I always seem to cause you so much pain. I wish I'd been able to tell him where my house was, so that I could take some of this pain away from you."

She moved slightly. "If you'd done that, I probably wouldn't be here now, Mulder. He'd have just killed me once he got what he wanted. Then we wouldn't have..."

She trailed off, blushing slightly underneath the painful looking bruises. "Wouldn't have what?" he asked, looking at her intently.

"Wouldn't have time to be together."

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, pleased when she kissed him back. Pulling away slightly, he rested his forehead gently onto hers, feeling her hand come up to touch his cheek gently again.

"Scully, the only good thing about this is that I've got to see that you love me just as much as I love you. I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"Of course I do, Mulder. How could you not know that after all this time?" she looked into his eyes briefly, hoping that he understood, before cuddling back up next to him. "I'm glad you're here. I didn't know how I was going to get through this without you."

He smiled at her admission, holding her tightly as if afraid that he would lose her again if he let go. "I'll always be here, whether you want me to or not. I love you too much to let you go."


	10. A New Start

Hey everyone! Well here it is, the end at last! Thanks so much to all of you for sticking with this, and for all your encouragement! I hope that this part is OK for you all :)  


* * *

Skinner woke up with a start, and instantly stood to check on Scully. All his anxiety drained away and he smiled, shaking his head as he looked through the window. Mulder was fast asleep, curled up on the bed behind Scully with his arms wrapped firmly around her waist. Her hands were locked around his arms, determined not to let him move his arms from around her. Chuckling to himself at his rogue agents, he turned and walked away, leaving them to it.

Scully stirred a while later, her hand instantly reaching for the pain relief button, pressing it with a sigh of relief. Mulder was awake in an instant, watching her worriedly as she relaxed a little again.

"Are you OK?" he asked gently, feeling her nod against him. Once they had settled again, he broached the topic that he had been anxious to explore. "Scully?"

"Mmm?" she replied sleepily, enjoying the feeling of having him close again.

"What was that other condition that the doctor was talking about?"

He felt her stiffen in his arms, instantly fully awake. She didn't answer, pulling away from him slightly as if his words had reminded her that there was still something that she was keeping from him. Gently, Mulder pulled her back towards him, holding her loosely so as not to hurt her, but firmly so she knew that he wasn't going to let her escape either. She sighed, still rigid to his touch.

"It's alright, Scully. I just want to know that you're alright. I'm not going to do anything, you can tell me."

She turned around painfully, looking up into his face as if she were looking for something. After a moment, she dropped her gaze, deep in thought, trying to decide what the best course of action was. He gently lifted her chin, and she saw the genuine concern in his eyes as he looked down at her. She blushed slightly.

"Well, I...just let me say that I don't want you to do anything about this, Mulder. There's no obligation on you and I'm not trying to trap you," she said gently, worry evident on her face. He stroked her cheek gently. "I just don't want this to come between us."

"It won't Scully!" he assured her, starting to panic at whatever it was that could be this bad for her to struggle telling him. He waited patiently, letting her gather her thoughts.

"I'm...well I...see the thing is..." she started before she heard his deep chuckle above her at her embarrassment.

"This is the first time I've seen you lost for words Scully! Spit it out," he gently teased, holding her against him. It didn't matter what she said, she still wanted him around and that was good enough for him.

"I'm...I'm pregnant, Mulder," she whispered, looking away until she realised that he had not pushed her away the instant that she told him.

Looking up cautiously, she saw that he had the biggest grin on his face that she had ever seen. Despite the worry at what he was thinking, and whether he was going to reject her, she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her own mouth.

"You're pregnant?" he repeated as if unsure that he had heard right. She nodded. "Oh my God, Scully, what on Earth were you worrying about telling me for?"

She sighed. "I know that we've not really been..._together_...for long, and it wasn't planned...well it definitely wasn't planned given the fact that I thought I couldnt... And I guess I...I didn't want to trap you into being with me."

She heard him groan behind her, pulling her against him firmly, and kissing the top of her head lovingly. He laced one of their hands together, the other rubbing her side gently

"Scully, you never have to worry about that! Can't you see that I've been hopelessly in love with you for years? There is nobody that I'd rather spend the rest of my life with, have a family with, grow old with. And I'm just amazed that you would want that with me as well."

Scully felt her mouth hanging open, and closed it quickly, feeing tears running down her face again, but this time tears of happiness. She craned her head back, seeing his happy and content face, and knew that he was telling the truth. Her grin soon matched his, and she relaxed against him again.

"I can't think of a better way that this nightmare could have ended," she admitted, stroking his arm gently that was wrapped around her firmly.

"Me neither," Mulder replied, leaning down to kiss her neck gently, his heart rising as she moved her head to give him room.

Sitting back up, he continued to hold the woman he loved, his heart so full of happiness that he thought it might burst. She felt sleep starting to take its hold on her again, and yawned tiredly. She felt so comfortable and protected in his arms, that she felt like she never wanted to leave this bed and be apart from him again.

Just before she fell asleep, she felt Mulder kiss her head. "I'm going to be a father!" she heard him whisper, uncontained excitement, pride and love in his voice. She slipped into the happiness of sleep with a huge smile on her face, knowing that Mulder would still be there when she woke up.

* * *

Well there we have it, that's the end! :) It's been great sharing this with you all, and hopefully I might manage it again sometime :) A huge thanks to all of you!!


End file.
